Undergraduate Diversity Program

Colorado Undergraduate Research in Environmental Health Sciences

If you’re an undergrad who is interested in environmental health, come join us for unique mentorship and research experiences. 

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Research Program in Environmental Health Sciences is a paid year-long research and mentorship opportunity specifically for sophomore or junior level undergraduate science majors from an underrepresented minority population and/or those students with disabilities or disadvantaged backgrounds. This program is funded by NIEHS Grant R25 ES025476.

Our program includes:

  • Full summer research and mentorship program (40 hours/week) and a school year research opportunity (10 hours/week)
  • Research opportunities include environmental causes of kidney disease and cancer, climate and environmental justice, effects of chemical threat agents and inhaled pollutants, effects of climate-related exposures (e.g. wildfires), exposures to PFAS and pesticides, biomonitoring of environmental exposures.
  • Mentoring on careers in environmental health sciences, applying to graduate or professional schools, responsible conduct in research
  • Weekly presentations during the summer portion on many areas of environmental health sciences such as environmental justice and equity, environmental carcinogens, microbiome and environmental health, environmental exposures in kidney disease, and PFAS and health effects.
  • Field trips during the summer, such as Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a former EPA superfund site for chemical weapons development. 
How the environment affects our bodies.

Our 3-pronged approach to developing student commitment and interest in environmental health sciences research:

Laboratory Experience

Laboratory Experience

Faculty Icon

Education/Field Trips

Community Icon

Social/Community

The following selection criteria will be used to select the diversity students who will become trainees for our program:

(a) Individuals who are underrepresented in health-related sciences. 

The following racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented in biomedical research and will be candidates for our program:

​African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Hawaiian Natives, and U.S. Pacific Islands Natives.

Individuals with disabilities including a physical or mental impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities, and/or

Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who come from a family with an annual income that is below established low-income thresholds and/or from a social, cultural, or educational environment have demonstrably and recently directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career.

(b) Individuals who are currently undergraduate science majors in their Junior or Senior year at the DTC or other local undergraduate institutions. There will be no preference on prior research experience, rather, we will base selection upon their interest in environmental health sciences.

(c) Individuals who have an exceptional academic record and potential as evidenced by:

(i) High School and College GPA ≥ 3.0,

(ii) SAT ≥ 30,

(iii) Stellar non-academic achievements records, and

(iv) Additional criteria - We recognize that some attractive candidates might not exactly meet all of the aforementioned substantial credentials. Therefore, each applicant will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the selection committee with a consultation. For example, some underrepresented and diverse individuals may be the first in their family to pursue this type of higher education and where appropriate that information will be considered as part of the application. Regardless, of this latter consideration, we will only enroll individuals who will be competitive for acceptance into a high-quality EHS graduate programs or professional schools and have a clear interest and aptitude for conducting research in the future.

(d) Individuals who have a desire to pursue a career in environmental health sciences research as evidenced by their application, the assessment of their teachers and advisors and/or any prior research experience.

(e) Individuals who are United States Citizens, non-citizen nationals of the United States or individuals who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e. in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Card I-55 or some other legal verification of such status).

niehs-logo

Alison Bauer photo

Alison Bauer PhD, BS

Associate Professor
  • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
  • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
  • Colorado School of Public Health

Email Address:alison.bauer@cuanschutz.edu

Primary Phone:303-724-6297

Mailing Address:
  • CU Anschutz

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

12850 East Montview Boulevard

Office: V20-3125

Aurora, CO 80045

Dr. Bauer is an associate professor in Department of Environmental & Occupational Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. She is a toxicologist that is interested in two central focus areas that are relevant to human health concerns, one for environmental research and one for basic cancer research, both of which generally focus on the mechanisms driving lung tumorigenesis and the associated inflammation. Prior to coming to Colorado, she was a faculty member in the Department of Pathobiology and Center for Integrative Toxicology at Michigan State University and maintained her own environmental and basic cancer laboratory. Her post-doctoral training was at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences in the Laboratory of Respiratory Biology with Dr. Steven Kleeberger on environmental genetics. She received her PhD from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Pharmacology in Dr. Al Malkinson’s laboratory and her B.S. in biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University. She has on-going research studies with collaborators at NIEHS, M.D. Anderson, Michigan State University, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany, and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Learn more about Dr. Bauer's Research Lab.

Areas of Expertise

  • Environmental and occupational lung carcinogenesis, specifically tumor promotion
  • Environmental lung toxicants: E-cigarettes and viral infectivity
  • Innate immune system in lung inflammation and tumorigenesis
  • Innate immune system in ozone-induced lung injury and inflammation
  • Novel therapeutic approaches for non-small cell lung cancer and asthma

Education, Licensure & Certifications

  • PhD, Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
  • BS,  Biochemistry, Pennsylvania State University

Awards

  • Paper of the Year, co-author, Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section, Society of Toxicology, 2015
  • Elected member, Alpha Upsilon Chapter of Delta Omega National Honor Society in Public Health, 2018
  • Fellow, American Thoracic Society, 2018

Alison Bauer photo

Alison Bauer PhD, BS

Associate Professor
  • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
  • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
  • Colorado School of Public Health

Email Address:alison.bauer@cuanschutz.edu

Primary Phone:303-724-6297

Mailing Address:
  • CU Anschutz

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

12850 East Montview Boulevard

Office: V20-3125

Aurora, CO 80045

Dr. Bauer is an associate professor in Department of Environmental & Occupational Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. She is a toxicologist that is interested in two central focus areas that are relevant to human health concerns, one for environmental research and one for basic cancer research, both of which generally focus on the mechanisms driving lung tumorigenesis and the associated inflammation. Prior to coming to Colorado, she was a faculty member in the Department of Pathobiology and Center for Integrative Toxicology at Michigan State University and maintained her own environmental and basic cancer laboratory. Her post-doctoral training was at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences in the Laboratory of Respiratory Biology with Dr. Steven Kleeberger on environmental genetics. She received her PhD from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Pharmacology in Dr. Al Malkinson’s laboratory and her B.S. in biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University. She has on-going research studies with collaborators at NIEHS, M.D. Anderson, Michigan State University, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany, and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Learn more about Dr. Bauer's Research Lab.

Areas of Expertise

  • Environmental and occupational lung carcinogenesis, specifically tumor promotion
  • Environmental lung toxicants: E-cigarettes and viral infectivity
  • Innate immune system in lung inflammation and tumorigenesis
  • Innate immune system in ozone-induced lung injury and inflammation
  • Novel therapeutic approaches for non-small cell lung cancer and asthma

Education, Licensure & Certifications

  • PhD, Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
  • BS,  Biochemistry, Pennsylvania State University

Awards

  • Paper of the Year, co-author, Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section, Society of Toxicology, 2015
  • Elected member, Alpha Upsilon Chapter of Delta Omega National Honor Society in Public Health, 2018
  • Fellow, American Thoracic Society, 2018



kris-fritz

Kristofer Fritz PhD

Associate Professor
Email: kristofer.fritz@cuanschutz.edu
Phone: 303-724-7932




Rebecca McCullough

Rebecca McCullough, PhD

Assistant Professor, Toxicology Graduate Program Associate Director



Nichole Reisdorph

Nichole Reisdorph, PhD

Professor, Mass Spectrometry Facility Director 
Emailnichole.reisdorph@cuanschutz.edu
Phone: 303-724-9234



James Roede

Laura Saba

Laura Saba, PhD

Associate Professor, Director
Emaillaura.saba@cuanschutz.edu
Phone: 303-724-9697


Lee Newman Headshot

Lee Newman, MD, MA

Distinguished Professor, Director (CHWE)
Emaillee.newman@cuanschutz.edu

Program Directors

Alison Bauer photo

Alison Bauer PhD, BS

Associate Professor
  • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
  • Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
  • Colorado School of Public Health

Email Address:alison.bauer@cuanschutz.edu

Primary Phone:303-724-6297

Mailing Address:
  • CU Anschutz

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Building

12850 East Montview Boulevard

Office: V20-3125

Aurora, CO 80045

Dr. Bauer is an associate professor in Department of Environmental & Occupational Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. She is a toxicologist that is interested in two central focus areas that are relevant to human health concerns, one for environmental research and one for basic cancer research, both of which generally focus on the mechanisms driving lung tumorigenesis and the associated inflammation. Prior to coming to Colorado, she was a faculty member in the Department of Pathobiology and Center for Integrative Toxicology at Michigan State University and maintained her own environmental and basic cancer laboratory. Her post-doctoral training was at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences in the Laboratory of Respiratory Biology with Dr. Steven Kleeberger on environmental genetics. She received her PhD from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Pharmacology in Dr. Al Malkinson’s laboratory and her B.S. in biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University. She has on-going research studies with collaborators at NIEHS, M.D. Anderson, Michigan State University, Ruhr-University, Bochum, Germany, and Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Learn more about Dr. Bauer's Research Lab.

Areas of Expertise

  • Environmental and occupational lung carcinogenesis, specifically tumor promotion
  • Environmental lung toxicants: E-cigarettes and viral infectivity
  • Innate immune system in lung inflammation and tumorigenesis
  • Innate immune system in ozone-induced lung injury and inflammation
  • Novel therapeutic approaches for non-small cell lung cancer and asthma

Education, Licensure & Certifications

  • PhD, Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
  • BS,  Biochemistry, Pennsylvania State University

Awards

  • Paper of the Year, co-author, Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section, Society of Toxicology, 2015
  • Elected member, Alpha Upsilon Chapter of Delta Omega National Honor Society in Public Health, 2018
  • Fellow, American Thoracic Society, 2018

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